CHAPTER 23
Monday morning, unknown location:
She stood in the doorway and watched him sleep. He appeared calm, almost peaceful, when he rested. All the strain he constantly harboured seemed to seep away as his mind turned off.
She took a few steps forward, wary of getting too close. Her eyes flicked to the chain that stretched from the wall to his ankle. She knew it would stop him from reaching the door, but it certainly wouldn't prevent him from grabbing her if she got too close.
She took a few more tentative steps forwards. When he didn't stir, she reached forward and trailed her fingers over his cheek and drew a line to his jaw. He felt warm to the touch.
She glanced at the bandages that covered his wounds. They were dotted red. They would need to be changed soon. She looked at his face, relaxed in forced sleep, and noticed a few beads of sweat on his upper lip. Fever.
She regretted hurting him, but he needed to understand his new position. Why couldn't he just accept her love? Why did he have to act so rashly?
"You brought this on yourself, Steve. If only you would accept what I offer you, then you could live in happiness. You won't need to worry about other people anymore, especially not that team of yours. It will just be you and me, forever."
She held her breath when his eyes started moving under closed eyelids. She retreated back towards the door and out of his reach.
He started tossing his head from side to side, evidently in the throes of a nightmare. She wanted to go to him, to comfort him and rid him of the demons in his head, but the warnings of the men she had hired rang loudly in her head.
Even sedated, she knew how dangerous the man lying in the bed was.
She watched from a distance as he mumbled in his drugged sleep. It was the same thing over and over again, but she couldn't decipher a single word.
Oscillating between wanting to soothe him and her desire to watch him suffer, she was saved from making a decision when her watched chimed loudly.
Oh well. She would have to wait until later. That way, she could see the look in his eyes when she finally took what was hers.
Monday morning, temporary Five-0 offices:
Kono rubbed her tired eyes for the third time that morning. Was it still morning? A quick glance at the clock told her yes.
It had been almost six days.
Six days of nothing. No ransom demands. No clues. No actual proof her boss had been kidnapped.
Steve was just…gone.
The only solid link they had to his disappearance was Gabriel Ortiz and they couldn't even find him. The overwhelming feeling of hopelessness once again reared its ugly head.
She could have done more. Found another way to flush out Gabriel Ortiz rather than using his brother. Rationally, she knew playing the 'what if' game wouldn't get her anywhere, but in periods of limited activity, it was hard not to blame herself for letting their only lead slip through the cracks.
She pushed that thought aside and instead focused her energy on glaring at the clock. It was ticking, mocking her and reminding her that with every day, every minute that passed, the chances of finding Steve McGarrett alive diminished. As a cop, she knew better than most how time-sensitive cases like this were.
Except there were no cases like this.
This one was personal.
Needless to say, they'd been in this position more than once with their boss; he'd been kidnapped and tortured before. But they'd been able to identify the person that had abducted him. First Fuentes, then Nazeef.
With Fuentes, it had been a case of mistaken identity that nearly turned deadly. Nazeef was just a crazy, manipulative nut job that didn't know when to quit. Until Steve had put a bullet in his head and ended his reign of terror. In both cases, they knew the motive behind Steve's disappearance.
This time…they had no idea who had taken him or why.
After reading through all the information Catherine had provided on Ortiz, Kono wasn't surprised the man had killed his own brother without so much as a moment of hesitation. She shuddered when she thought about Steve being in the man's hands, even if he was just the hired muscle.
Although she had never truly seen that side of him, she knew Steve had the skills needed to be a deadly mercenary and more. The difference between the man she worked with day after day and men like Ortiz that would sell their country out was that Steve had a heart that beat for more than himself beneath that cold, hard exterior.
If you had asked Kono the day she graduated from the Police Academy if she could ever see herself on a taskforce, she would have said 'no way, Brah'. The day Steve had asked her to help in an undercover capacity had been enlightening. So when she was asked to join the rag-tag team that Steve had cobbled together to find Hesse on a more permanent basis, she'd immediately jumped at the chance.
It was certainly more dangerous than anything the average cop encountered, but she trusted her team. Even more than that, she trusted the man that saw her potential from day one and helped her thrive. It was even more humbling to know that they trusted her two.
She thought back to the day when she asked Steve to promise her that he would never push them away when things got tough.
Cops have this thing about promises. It was one of the first things she was taught at the Academy; don't make promises because you can't always keep them and it gives people a sense of false hope. Happily ever after rarely came to fruition, especially in their line of work.
But Steve was not a cop.
He was a Navy SEAL, the best of the best.
Which was why she'd felt assured when he uttered those words of promised intention to her. So yes, working on the Five-0 taskforce was more dangerous than anything she had ever imagined herself doing but she wouldn't trade it for anything.
Steve had asked her how she knew she could trust him and she'd replied that her gut told her she could.
That was partly true. In reality, she knew that Steve was trained and extremely capable of handling himself and his team. As a special forces operator, he had to be. The longer she spent time with him, the more she realised what that training had actually done to the man she knew as her boss. Aside from being strong, fast and tactically analytical, his training had given him the mental acuity to literally endure torture.
Despite all of horrors he'd endured during his lifetime, he opted to focus on the good. Steve could so easily use his skills for deplorable acts, but he chose to help those that couldn't help themselves. It was that characteristic that she'd seen in her boss on more than one occasion that made her trust him inexplicably.
She glanced back at the papers strewn over her desk and realised she needed more caffeine. Lots of caffeine.
Monday morning, Edwards' residence:
Danny pulled inside the obnoxious gate and stopped the Camaro by the front entrance where Rachel was waiting with her arms crossed, impatiently stamping her foot.
He sighed. He knew he was late.
Grace had wanted him to do braids in her hair for school that morning. He'd never been very good at them himself. It was a wonder how Steve managed to do them so perfectly.
So after more than a few attempts, he'd managed something that vaguely resembled the much sought after hairstyle but it had taken him twice as long as he'd anticipated. Hence being late to drop his daughter off at his ex-wife's house. Mansion. Whatever.
"Danno?"
He looked up into the rearview mirror and smiled at Grace. "Yeah Monkey?"
"Uncle Steve's not on holiday, is he?"
His smile suddenly became forced. "What makes you say that, Grace?"
"You look tired, like when you're working on a big case. You're drinking lots of coffee and I know you're not sleeping. You had the TV on all night and when I went into the kitchen to get some water, I saw all the papers on the coffee table. I heard you talking on the phone and you sounded stressed…like last time. Then you mentioned Uncle Steve and I just knew."
Danny hung his head. His daughter was sometimes too intuitive. "You're right, Grace. He's missing. But we're working to find him."
"I know. You're the best detective there is and Uncle Steve is SuperSEAL. Nothing can stop him."
Danny admired his daughter's absolute faith in his abilities, but he wondered if maybe her opinion of Steve's invulnerability was enhanced by his own elaborate narratives. Regardless, he couldn't help but return the smile Grace shot his way.
"You're right Monkey, as always. Now get going before your mum has a conniption fit," he said and smiled when she jumped out of the car, waving at him before racing up to where Rachel was waiting for her with open arms.
He watched as Rachel ushered her inside before she turned and gave him an inquiring look. He shook his head and her eyes saddened. When he had called her to explain the situation, especially the part about how he had pissed off Steve's Lieutenant, Rachel had been unusually understanding. She had even offered to swap weekends, but he had declined as Chin's voice reminded him that he desperately needed a break. As much as he hated to admit it, the time with Grace had given him a clearer mind.
He sighed heavily as he pulled away from his ex-wife's house. He instinctively knew that Steve would understand spending time with Grace, but he couldn't help feeling guilty for not spending every waking minute looking for his missing friend.
Before he had time to start blaming himself for not being by Steve's side every minute of the day to protect him, his phone rang.
"Williams," he answered.
"Howzit Haole?" Kamekona's voice filtered through the car's stereo system.
"If you are calling me, it must mean you have something big," Danny answered.
"Oh yeah. I found where your guy Ortiz hangs out."
Danny nearly ran the car off the road. "Where?" he demanded.
"A place called 'Grilled Steak House'. It's on South Street. My cousin, Pika, owns da place. He says dat someone fitting Ortiz's description comes in at least once a week."
"Thanks Big Guy. This may be the clue we need."
"Shoots!"
As soon as the call ended, Danny called Chin and asked him to meet him at the restaurant. As Danny pulled into an empty parking space outside the building, he could smell the delightful aroma of charred meat. His stomach grumbled appreciatively, reminding him he hadn't eaten yet that morning. He heard the sound of a motorbike approaching and knew Chin had arrived.
As Chin slid off his bike, he asked, "Kamekona came through?"
"Yeah. Apparently someone meeting Ortiz's description frequents this establishment," Danny answered.
The two Five-0 members walked inside the mostly empty restaurant and approached the bar. The man behind the counter was almost as large as Kamekona. He filled the small space with his bulk and had to shuffle from side to side to move from one end to the other.
"Pika?" Danny asked.
"Dat's me," the man answered with a grin. "You must be Five-0. Kame said you would be stopping by."
"Uh, yeah. I'm Detective Williams, this is Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly," Danny said as he pulled out his phone. "Can we ask you a few questions?"
"Of course," the man answered.
Danny held a picture of Gabriel Ortiz up to show the huge man. "Have you seen this man before?"
Pika wiped his hands on a towel and motioned for the phone to be held closer. "Yeah, that's Fitzy."
"Fitzy?" Chin asked.
"Kirk Fitzpatrick, Fitzy for short. He comes in here about once a week. I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks though."
Danny exchanged a look with Chin and knew the older man was thinking the same as him; the name was an alias.
"Was he ever in here with anyone else? Did he talk to any other regulars?" Chin asked.
Pika looked thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, a few months ago he started sitting with a woman."
Danny thought back to the description the younger brother had given the cousins. "Was she blonde?"
"Yeah."
Danny felt Chin nudge his shoulder. He turned to the man and he pointed at something just above the bar.
"Do those work?" Chin asked.
"Yeah. Set them up myself."
"Do you keep the tapes?" Danny asked.
"No tapes. It's all digital. All video is saved on a hard drive and sorted by month."
"Can we see the footage from when Fitzy was last here?" Chin asked before Danny could.
"Sure. Come on in to the back, I'll show you."
Danny followed the large man into a small office in the back. He had to admit he was surprised by how orderly the place was.
"What can you tell us about Fitzy and this woman? Did you overhear anything they talked about?"
Pika was distracted for a moment as he started up the computer. "Nah. I try to stay out of my customers' business. All I can say was dat he was smitten. You know, puppy love. She didn't seem to mind da attention either…Oh, here it is."
Danny and Chin watched as Pika fast forwarded the video and they got their first clear shot of their female suspect.
"Can you pause that?" Chin requested.
"Sure ting," Pika answered enthusiastically.
Danny stared at the image on the screen. Their suspects were huddled close together at the bar and there were clear shots of their faces. One was unmistakably Gabriel Ortiz (a.k.a. Kirk 'Fitzy' Fitzpatrick) and the other…
"Chin, I think I've seen her before," Danny muttered.
"Me too," Chin replied.
She was of medium build with long blonde hair and wearing casual business attire. She looked so familiar.
Danny's brain struggled to come up with a name, but after a minute he remembered where he'd seen her before. "She's a reporter for the Honolulu Times."
"Yeah," Chin agreed. "The same one that gave us information on the Perry case and gave us the description that led to Rogerson."
"More like the one that has been trying to get Steve's attention," Danny growled as he remembered how eager the woman had been to talk to Steve. "I should have seen this sooner!"
"Hang on, slow down Danny. What are you talking about?" Chin asked.
"She's been around him a lot lately. I just didn't realise how much until now!"
"Danny?"
Danny started pacing in small circles as his brain started connecting the dots. "She waited for him at the Palace under the pretence of getting information for a story, yet ignored the rest of us. She delivered information to him personally after the press conference following the meth lab explosion. She was at the cemetery. She was at the scene during the hostage situation at the garden store. I saw her. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but I remember thinking something about her was off. Then she followed him to the Ka'aukai scene under the pretence of wanting an interview with him. I thought it was weird that Steve knew her by name—" he paused as the name suddenly sprang to mind. "Marsden!"
Chin looked confused. "What?"
"Marsden! That's her name," Danny announced. He turned to Pika. "Pika, do you think you could print that picture for us?"
"Sure, Bruddah."
They waited while the larger man printed the still image. As soon as it was done, Danny grabbed it from the print tray. Chin muttered their thanks before they rushed out of the restaurant.
"Let's go talk to the Honolulu Times. I want to know who this woman is!" Danny announced.
Monday afternoon, Honolulu Times Reception:
"Five-0. We're here to see Richard Hopkins."
Chin internally shook his head at the ex-Jersey native. Some manners wouldn't go amiss, something Danny often yelled at Steve for. Hypocrite.
"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist, Lucinda, asked. Little did she know how much that statement was like a like waving a red rag to a bull.
"Do I—Do I have an appointment?" Danny sputtered before shoving his badge in her face. "This badge says I don't need an appointment!"
It was at times like these when Chin wished Steve was present. Say what you want about McGarrett's interrogation tactics, but the man could be diplomatic when he needed to be. Especially in public. The younger McGarrett would turn on the charm and be able to get what he wanted with a simple smile or bat of the eyelashes. Or he'd just storm in and piss people off in an instant. Both methods were extremely effective.
At Lucinda's alarmed expression, Chin stepped in. "I apologise for my partner. Would you mind calling Mr Hopkins and asking him if he has a moment to speak to us? It's regarding a rather sensitive matter."
A moment later, they were being led up to the penthouse and into the office of one Richard Hopkins, Editor in Chief of the Honolulu Times.
"Hello gentleman," a balding middle-aged man greeted them and shook each of their hands.
"Mr Hopkins, Chin Ho Kelly and Danny Williams from Five-0," Chin introduced them.
"What can I do for Five-0?" Hopkins said as he motioned for them to sit. "I understand it's sensitive in nature?"
"It's regarding the disappearance of Commander McGarrett," Chin answered.
"I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge surrounding the circumstances of his disappearance," Hopkins replied defensively.
"I didn't mean to insinuate that you did," Chin assured the man. "We were actually hoping you could tell us more about an employee of yours."
"Do you have a reporter by the name of Marsden?" Danny added.
Hopkins frowned. "No." The answer held a level of uncertainty that had Chin exchanging a look with Danny.
"Are you sure?" Chin prompted.
"Just let me check the records. I don't have a journalist currently on staff by that name, but it does sound familiar. Just give me one moment."
Chin waited patiently as Hopkins went to a filing cabinet beside his desk and started rifling through some documents.
"Ah, here it is. Rebecca Marsden. She was an employee until about a year ago. She was fired."
Chin sat forward, intrigued. "Why?"
Hopkins sighed and rubbed his eyebrow with his thumb. "She started as a promising journalist. She did the research and produced good stories. Until something changed. She became very unproductive and would only work on this one story. It became an obsession. It was never perfect. When she refused to work on other stories, I fired her."
"What was the story about?" Danny asked.
Hopkins reached into the folder and handed a printed document to Danny. Chin leaned over to read over the blond man's shoulder.
"Us," Chin muttered when he saw the headline; Five-0 taskforce thwarts human trafficking ring.
"More specifically, Steve," Danny pointed out. Almost the entire story was detailed around Steve and how he solved the case.
Chin read the article more closely. There were details that weren't ever released to the press in there. How did she know about Victor Hesse's involvement in McGarrett's father's murder? Even more concerning were the quotes she claimed to receive directly from the source.
How long had she been watching Steve?
Chin was drawn from his internal thoughts by Danny's voice. "Hold on. If she was fired a year ago, then how is she still able to get access to crime scenes?"
"We never received her credentials or work phone after we fired her. We tried calling, emailing, visiting her house but it was like she just disappeared," Hopkins answered.
"Do you have her address?" Chin asked hopefully.
"Yeah. That should be on the employee details form," the Editor-in-Chief answered, pointing at the file in Danny's hands.
Danny flicked to the page and found the information. "Thank you. Do you mind if we keep this?"
"Not at all," Hopkins replied. "Do you really think she's involved in Commander McGarrett's disappearance?"
"We just want to ask her a few questions, that's all," Danny assured the man.
Chin could feel the anxiety melting away as the prospect of having an actual, tangible lead came to the forefront. Now they were finally getting somewhere.
"Thank you for your time," Chin said as he shook the Editor's hand.
As soon as they reached their respective vehicles, Danny turned to Chin. "Call Kono. Tell her to meet us there."
"Already on it," Chin replied as he brought his phone to his ear.
